Rubber Magnolia
by SiriusStarr
Summary: Mal calmly harasses Simon, and the end results turn out to be something the doctor never expected... mild MalSimon, PG, One shot. ::please review!::


Title: Rubber Magnolia  
Pairing: Simon/Mal  
Genre: Romance  
Rating: PG  
Warnings: Slashiness  
Disclaimer: Firefly, most unfortunately, does not belong to me.  
Summary: Mal calmly harasses Simon, and the end results were not what the doctor was expecting.

_A.N.: This is another fic from the challenge that I'm doing, but I like this one again and its the first slash I've ever written. Enjoy :)_

Rubber Magnolia

Simon glared daggers at Mal, while the Captain turned away, looking smug. River had agreed to go on another job with the crew, and Simon was less than happy. More like livid. He had just tried to talk Mal out of it, but was unsuccessful. Now the captain was gloating, as usual, and Simon was cranky. The doctor turned and strode from the room, angrily going back to his bedroom. He lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, sighing and praying to something somewhere that River would be okay.

He stayed there the entire time the crew was gone. The ship was silent and he was alone aside from Book, who checked in once to see if he was feeling okay. Eventually he drifted into an uneasy sleep, as he awaited the crew's return.

A long time later he was jerked out of his sleep by a knock on his door. He woke with a start and sat up to see Mal standing in the doorway. Simon rubbed his eyes groggily and blinked at the captain, suddenly noticing the somber look on his face. Simon was instantly alert, looking at him warily.

"Captain...?" he said cautiously, sliding off his bed and standing in front of Mal. Mal's eyes dropped from Simon's to the floor.

"Sorry doctor. But... there was an... incident." he said somberly. Simon's heart plummeted into his stomach.

"What happened? W here's River! Did something happen to her?" he demanded, fear and anger gripping him at the same time. He nearly fell over when Mal nodded.

"She, uh... she's not coming back." He told him quietly. Simon stared at him, his mouth half-open, shocked.

"I... You bastard!" he spat suddenly, swinging a punch before he could even think. It hit Mal in the side of the face, and almost knocked him off his feet. Mal's eyes blazed and he shoved the doctor so hard that Simon fell backwards onto the floor. He stared up at Mal, who was massaging his jaw and wincing. "Is she really gone?" he asked quietly in fear. Mal, whose face had been so somber moments before, suddenly broke into a grin. Simon gaped at him, not understanding.

"Man... Kaylee was right, you really are an easy mark." Mal chuckled. Simon still gaped at him, not knowing what was truth and what was false. Mal laughed at the look on his face. "River!" he called, and Simon heard her familiar footsteps. Relief flooded through him, and as she entered the room and knelt beside him, he wrapped his arms around her.

"_Meimei_... I thought you wer--"

"I know." she said softly. "He's a bad joker." Simon nuzzled his face into her hair for a moment, just happy that River was safe. After a moment River let go, smiled, and left the room. Simon stood and watched her go, and then turned to Mal.

"You _qing wa cao de liu mang_... How could you _do _that to me? I nearly had a heart attack!" He snapped, glaring at the captain. Mal smiled.

"Just keepin' you on your toes, Doc." Simon marched up to him, but lost some of his confidence as the captain looked calmly down at the shorter doctor.

"You're a cruel man." Simon told him coolly. Mal looked down at him calmly.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asked smoothly. Simon paused. Good question.

"What do _you_ think I should do then, _hun dan_?" Simon asked in annoyance. Mal surveyed him quietly for a moment before speaking.

"Let me kiss you." he said softly. Simon looked at him in surprise. Mal was really serious this time. The doctor wasn't sure how he felt about the captain in that way, but as Mal pulled him closer, Simon didn't fight it. He closed his eyes as their lips met, Mal's hand on his neck, and knew that this was something he could learn to enjoy.

_Please review!_


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